Teaching English in Costa Rica

Most jobs teaching English in Costa Rica can be found in the larger cities such as San José. However, teaching English in cities like San Jose may not appeal to everyone as, typical of many large Latin American cities, they tend to be busy, noisy and can be dangerous if you are not familiar with the districts. You could be fortunate enough to find a post teaching English at one of the many beach locations in Costa Rica, or in a smaller town within the country, but competition for teaching jobs in these locations, especially coastal ones, is quite high and it may take some time before securing a position there. The main recruitment period for teachers in Costa Rica is from May to September. Many Language schools are needy of teachers at this time and there are usually more jobs than teachers. Recruitment of teachers from November to mid January is not as high as the peak season, but there remains a need for teachers year round and with a degree of tenacity, you should be able to find a job teaching English at any time.

Costa Ricans, similar to there fellow world citizens, view speaking English as a means to gaining good employment and to increase their chances of promotion and therefore a higher salary. The result of this is that there are many language schools in Costa Rica, offering a full range of English courses year round and in virtually every town and city. This means there is a high demand for English teachers in Costa Rica.

Most schools prefer to hire teachers who are currently in Costa Rica rather than hiring from overseas. As with all Latin American countries, employers prefer to see the applicant in person to gain an overall impression. There are job postings, however, on all major TEFL job web sites and in local online versions of newspapers. Most schools will hire you if you hold a TEFL certificate, university degree, have a good personality and are smartly dressed.

Most jobs teaching English in Costa Rica are located in the towns and cities of the Central Valley area, with positions also available in costal areas with relatively high populations. Most schools do not provide their own training so it is important to have undergone TEFL training in order to gain good employment.

TEFL Courses in Manuel Antonio

Sample Job Offer Teaching English in Costa Rica

Our language school in San Jose, Costa Rica has five immediate openings for TEFL qualified English language teachers. Minimum requirements are: native born, North American English speaker (preferred) Candidates from other English speaking countries will be considered based on their accent or hopefully lack of. University Graduate (B.A. or higher preferred), ESL teaching certificate: CELTA, TESOL, TEFL etc… or minimum 2 years ESL teaching experience, able to commit to 6 months or 1 year (minimum 6 month commitment). We offer: competitive pay for the region, end of Contract BONUS, Free Spanish classes, Discount travel, we help you get a cell phone, find a place to live and set up a bank account. Although we are looking for teachers who can start immediately, we are always looking for qualified staff throughout the year.

Costa Rica
Capital city	San José
Language	Spanish
Currency	Colones
Typical TEFL teacher salary	400-550 USD a month
Major TEFL locations	San José